Schwanengesang opens in the happiest and most pleasant of moods with Ludwig Rellstab’s Liebesbotschaft (Love’s Message). A contented lover, who sits dreamily by the side of a little brooklet, revels in the thoughts of a distant beloved. Though he is separated from her, there is no anguish in longing or the slightest hint of sadness, but only the confidence of a boundless love and the most affectionate feelings carried by the cheerful waters of the brooklet ahead of an inevitable reunion of lovers.
Schubert’s setting is peaceful and sublime, eloquently capturing the affectionate mood of the dreamy lover in a brilliant G major. The piano murmurs with the flowing waters of the little brook as the vocalist entrusts it with his tidings of love. Following five measures of introduction, the very beginning of the vocal melody captures the hopefulness of the lover in its initial stepwise ascent of a third and the subsequent leap upwards of a fourth, both of which are soon after mimicked by the piano. In the second stanza, the lover implores the brooklet to nurture the garden of his beloved. The vocal melody swells with this tender display of affection, brought on by the anxious fifths beneath the constant murmurings of the brook, and further animated by the active bass line that accompanies the latter half of the stanza.
The third stanza initially turns more introspective as the poet imagines his beloved next to the stream bank, lost in dreams of him, and is brought out in the sudden broadening of the vocal melody’s rhythms. Yet, anxiety once again overtakes the young lover’s heart, this time with even greater melodic ornamentation and a sudden shift into the distant key of B major, as he tasks the waters of the little stream with comforting her heart before his quick return. In an equally deft modulation, Schubert returns to G major and reprises the music of the opening for the final stanza. The poet beseeches the murmuring waters to lull his sweetheart to sleep and whisper to her dreams of love. In a final moment of tenderness, Schubert repeats this final line with augmented rhythms to give the song a most affectionate close as the murmurings of the brook carry on past its final utterance, its gentle song slowly fading away as it carries these tidings of love. Joseph DuBose
This recording of Schwanengesang was made in the 1950s.
Classical Music | Baritone
Franz Schubert
Liebesbotschaft, from Schwanengesang Play
Recorded on 12/31/1969, uploaded on 01/22/2014
Musician's or Publisher's Notes
Liebesbotschaft
Schwanengesang opens in the happiest and most pleasant of moods with Ludwig Rellstab’s Liebesbotschaft (Love’s Message). A contented lover, who sits dreamily by the side of a little brooklet, revels in the thoughts of a distant beloved. Though he is separated from her, there is no anguish in longing or the slightest hint of sadness, but only the confidence of a boundless love and the most affectionate feelings carried by the cheerful waters of the brooklet ahead of an inevitable reunion of lovers.
Schubert’s setting is peaceful and sublime, eloquently capturing the affectionate mood of the dreamy lover in a brilliant G major. The piano murmurs with the flowing waters of the little brook as the vocalist entrusts it with his tidings of love. Following five measures of introduction, the very beginning of the vocal melody captures the hopefulness of the lover in its initial stepwise ascent of a third and the subsequent leap upwards of a fourth, both of which are soon after mimicked by the piano. In the second stanza, the lover implores the brooklet to nurture the garden of his beloved. The vocal melody swells with this tender display of affection, brought on by the anxious fifths beneath the constant murmurings of the brook, and further animated by the active bass line that accompanies the latter half of the stanza.
The third stanza initially turns more introspective as the poet imagines his beloved next to the stream bank, lost in dreams of him, and is brought out in the sudden broadening of the vocal melody’s rhythms. Yet, anxiety once again overtakes the young lover’s heart, this time with even greater melodic ornamentation and a sudden shift into the distant key of B major, as he tasks the waters of the little stream with comforting her heart before his quick return. In an equally deft modulation, Schubert returns to G major and reprises the music of the opening for the final stanza. The poet beseeches the murmuring waters to lull his sweetheart to sleep and whisper to her dreams of love. In a final moment of tenderness, Schubert repeats this final line with augmented rhythms to give the song a most affectionate close as the murmurings of the brook carry on past its final utterance, its gentle song slowly fading away as it carries these tidings of love. Joseph DuBose
This recording of Schwanengesang was made in the 1950s.
Courtesy of YouTube
More music by Franz Schubert
Der Wanderer an den Mond
Tränenregen, from Die schöne Müllerin
Moment musicaux, D. 780 No. 4
Erlkönig
Piano Sonata D. 958, Finale: Allegro
Sonata in B-flat Major, Op. 30, D617
Impromptu Op. 90 No. 2 in E-flat Major, D. 899
Notturno
Standchen, Lieder for Flute and Piano
Impromptu No. 2 in E-flat, Op. Posth. D.946
Classical Music for the Internet Era™